Flames.
Destruction.
Nothing else remained but ashes.
I saw a dream—a nightmare, perhaps a glimpse of the future. A world swallowed by fire, repeating endlessly, never letting me wake. I heard screams again and again, like echoes that wouldn't stop. The flames devoured everything—earth crumbled into dust, the skies tore apart, and in the heart of the inferno, I saw him.
A man with golden hair. Black eyes like voids.
He looked like me.
He smiled, tilting his head slightly.
"Do you like the world you created?"
And then the fire consumed my vision—
Beep… beep… beep…
I woke to hospital sounds. Blinding lights pierced my eyes.
"I'm… n-not… d-dead…" My voice rasped, my chest aching with every word.
The door opened. A bundle of flowers slipped from delicate hands and scattered on the floor.
"TAREK!" Astrid's voice cracked as she rushed to me, tears streaming down her face. "Thank goodness… you're awake. The doctors said— they said you'd probably never wake up because of your mana core—"
I blinked at her, confused, throat dry. "What… what's wrong with my mana core?"
Astrid's lips trembled. She looked down, guilt in her eyes.
The doctor entered before she could speak. His face was grim, his tone clinical. "Your core is corrupted. Damaged beyond what we'd expect someone your age to survive. Honestly… it's shocking you're even alive. You were unconscious for a full month. If your friends hadn't rushed you here, if they had been even one second late…" He paused, his gaze heavy. "Your body would have exploded from the unstable mana."
I froze. A month? Exploded?
"What do you mean corrupted?" My voice sharpened. "Explain it to me."
The doctor nodded slowly, as though weighing how much truth to give me.
"Your mana core is like an organ—living, breathing, growing with you. But unlike your heart or lungs, it isn't naturally part of your body. It fuses to you when you awaken. At twelve years old, your body is still fragile, your organs still small. When you forced that much power through your body during the fight… your core couldn't stabilize. It fractured. A corrupted core means the mana flowing inside you twists, burns, and rejects your body instead of nurturing it. It's poison in your veins. By all rights, you shouldn't be able to sit up. You shouldn't even be alive."
Astrid squeezed my hand. "Jay and I— we carried you here ourselves. If we had been even one heartbeat late…"
So that was it. That blinding pain in the arena, the moment my body went numb. I really was about to die.
I closed my eyes, whispered to myself, "A whole month… Elarion must be worried sick."
But something gnawed at me. My fists tightened around the bedsheet. "Doctor… I don't think you're entirely right. When I blacked out, yes, it felt like my body was about to explode. But now… my core doesn't feel corrupted. It feels… different. Alive. Like something changed."
The doctor frowned, clearly unconvinced, but I let it go. I sighed, staring out the window. There's still so much I don't understand. About myself. About my parents.
Astrid leaned closer. "Are you okay?"
I turned to answer her—
Ding!
A translucent red notification flickered before my eyes.
The system. The same strange interface I hadn't seen since the day I first woke in this world.
Its question sent a chill down my spine—
[ … ]
Before I could read the rest, Astrid's soft "Um, Jae?" pulled me back. The screen blinked away.
"Oh—sorry. I'm fine. I think I just need rest."
The doctor nodded. "We'll keep you here one more week. You need medicine to stabilize, to give your core a chance to adapt."
I agreed. The doctor left.
I turned to Astrid. "What about Kuro? Did he wake up?"
Her expression dimmed. "He… was discharged three weeks ago. But he hasn't been seen since. He came by to see you once… and then vanished. I think he feels guilty—like it's his fault you ended up like this."
My chest tightened. "Kuro… don't tell me you're blaming yourself too."
Astrid whispered, "The authorities have been investigating the arena. Hundreds of innocents died that day. I think kuro… he blames himself for everyone he cut down."
I closed my eyes, the weight heavy. I told myself I swear… I'll end the demons' ways. I'll change this world. That nightmare I saw—the blonde man asking me if I liked the world I created… No. That's not my world. My world will be one where children can laugh. Where people feel safe. A world of smiles, not ashes.
One Week Later
The fresh air outside the hospital stung my lungs, but it felt incredible. They had given me a black hoodie, sweatpants, and shoes—plain, comfortable. Astrid was waiting in a regal royal dress, smiling.
"Feeling better?"
"Yeah. Much."
"Oh—before I forget." She handed me something. A cracked mask. My mask.
I froze. The top right was broken, jagged.
"When I searched the labyrinth ruins beneath the arena, I found it like this.then for the dagger I found it but somehow it was also broken in pieces, so I'm sorry…"
I put a hand on her shoulder. "Why do you keep apologizing for things you don't need to? You'll wear yourself out." I chuckled.
Her face turned scarlet red. "I-I… I wasn't—!"
"Do you have some kind of condition? You turn red every five minutes."
She spun away, flustered.
Before I could question her more, an ice shard stabbed the ground at my feet.
A shadow figure behind me screamed
"TAREK!"
I Turned around and saw jay then looked back at the shard near my foot and said "WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK JAY!" I roared. "You nearly skewered me! I JUST got out of the hospital!"
Jay sighed. "Okay… and?"
I clenched my fists. "What do you want?"
He shrugged. "seemed like we had the same mission. I decided to let you take the credit. You did most of the work, so I figure this was your win."
I blinked. Was Jay… being nice?
Astrid asked softly, "Jay… are you okay?"
He scowled. "Don't piss me off, annoying princess."
She bristled. "WHAT did you just—"
But then she froze. Because a hooded figure was walking toward us. Slowly.
He pulled the hood down.
"…Kuro."
His face was pale, guilt carved into his features.
"I'm sorry… for causing you all so much trouble—"
"Stop." I cut him off. My voice was firm. "It wasn't your fault. You were being controlled. Everything you did in that arena—it wasn't you. None of this is your fault."
His lips trembled. His fists shook. I walked closer to him with a smile and said " before the announcer took you, I asked you something. You never answered."
I walked up to him. Slowly. Then I raised my hand to him.
"Let's be friends?"
Kuro's eyes widened. His breath hitched. And then, with watery eyes, he smiled. His hand clasped mine tight.
Astrid quickly threw her hand on top. "Hey—don't leave me out!"
Then she turned to Jay. "Come on, Ice Boy. Join in."
Jay shoved his hands into his pockets, turning away. "I don't do this weird touchy stuff."
"Suit yourself," I called after him. But as he walked away, I shouted, "Let's meet again, Jay!"
He didn't turn, but I saw it—the faintest smile tugging at his lips.
I grinned, then turned to Astrid and Kuro. "I have somewhere I need to return to."
Astrid nodded. "I have duties in the royal capital."
Kuro added quietly, "How about… we meet again in two or three years? When we're old enough to enter… Yokai Academy."
"Yokai Academy?" I asked.
Astrid's eyes lit up. "It's a new academy being formed. To train us, to prepare us to join the Yokai Army. To end the Yokais and Crimson threats once and for all."
Yokai academy, hmmm.
I clenched my fist. "Then it's settled. Two, three years. We'll meet again at Yokai Academy."
All three of us said it together:
"Yeah!"
We parted ways—Astrid to the capital, Kuro to his home, Jay disappearing into the horizon.
And me? I stepped into the forest, back toward the portal that would return me to the elves.
But when I arrived, what I saw stole the breath from my lungs.
The elf kingdom was not as I had left it.
It was burning.